**How can we ensure that projects generating certified carbon credits also create tangible value for the territories that host them? In ecosystem restoration projects, long-term success depends not only on effective carbon sequestration, but also on the engagement of local communities and the creation of sustainable economic opportunities. This is precisely the purpose of benefit sharing. Today, this principle has become a structural condition for the credibility and durability of carbon projects. At Reforest’Action, it is embedded from the project design phase and supported by a rigorous evaluation framework to ensure that carbon finance genuinely contributes to local development.**

![Benefit-sharing-1.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Benefit_sharing_1_73dbcf5a19.jpg)

## Benefit sharing in certified carbon projects

### A principle of equity at the core of carbon finance

Within projects certified under international standards such as Verra (VCS) or Gold Standard, benefit sharing refers to the set of mechanisms designed to distribute the benefits generated by a project equitably among its stakeholders, particularly [local communities and Indigenous peoples](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/magazine/include-local-communities-to-develop-adapted-sustainable-project). At a time when the social integrity of projects has become central to the credibility of voluntary carbon markets, these mechanisms play a structuring role in both project design and governance. This approach acknowledges that the success of a carbon sequestration project depends on a broader ecosystem of actors and activities, and that benefits must be distributed fairly to ensure long-term sustainability.

### Carbon standards and national frameworks: towards stronger regulation of benefit sharing

While they do not impose a universal percentage of benefit sharing applicable to all projects, carbon standards have progressively strengthened the governance of benefit sharing by incorporating specific requirements into their methodological frameworks and social and environmental safeguard systems.

Under Verra’s VCS 5.0 standard, the benefit-sharing mechanism must be co-designed with land rights holders, local communities, and Indigenous peoples prior to project implementation, and subsequently implemented and monitored throughout the project lifecycle. These stakeholders are thereby recognized as full participants in the benefit sharing mechanism.

The standard also requires a high level of financial transparency. Project developers must disclose to participants, at the design stage, projected revenues and expected costs, and subsequently provide annual updates on operational costs and actual or projected revenues.

The mechanism itself must be formalized and contextualized: it must specify the nature of benefits (monetary, in-kind, or a combination), their distribution timeline, and be adapted to the local context, communicated through culturally appropriate means, and aligned with applicable national regulations. It must also remain accessible to stakeholders and include provisions to account for revenue variability, particularly in relation to carbon market fluctuations.

Finally, Verra introduces a critical distinction between activities necessary for project implementation and the benefits actually shared. Project operational costs, infrastructure required for implementation, worker salaries, and environmental risk mitigation measures cannot be considered part of benefit sharing. This clarification strengthens both the transparency and credibility of benefit-sharing mechanisms.

In parallel, several countries have recently introduced more prescriptive national frameworks on benefit sharing, explicitly defining value distribution mechanisms—and in some cases, the share of revenues allocated to local communities. This trend, particularly visible in East Africa and the Indian Ocean region, reflects a broader movement toward stronger regulation of benefit sharing within carbon markets.

### Benefit sharing as a condition for the success of restoration projects

In ecosystem restoration projects, benefit sharing is not merely a methodological requirement associated with carbon standards—it is also an operational condition for the success and long-term sustainability of initiatives on the ground.

These projects are embedded in complex territorial dynamics and rely on long-term commitments from local communities. Agroforestry projects, in particular, involve gradual changes in agricultural practices, the long-term integration of trees into production systems, and the collective management of new natural resources. Their success therefore depends directly on the engagement of local stakeholders and their ability to adopt and sustain these transformations over time. Active community participation thus becomes a key determinant of project viability, as it conditions both the adoption of introduced practices and their long-term continuity beyond the initial support phases.

In this context, benefit sharing plays a structuring role. By ensuring a fair distribution of the value generated by the project, it helps align economic incentives across stakeholders and strengthens local ownership. Capacity building for farmers, the inclusion of women in productive systems, and the structuring of collective initiatives at the territorial level all play a central role in sustaining implemented practices and amplifying environmental and socio-economic impacts.

However, benefit-sharing mechanisms often remain insufficiently structured. The report Beyond Beneficiaries – Fairer Carbon Market Frameworks by The Nature Conservancy highlights that some local communities bear costs that are not fully accounted for in project economic models, or receive only a marginal share of the value generated. Asymmetries in access to information, land rights, or negotiation capacity may also lead to situations of value capture to the detriment of local actors. These findings are driving a shift in benefit-sharing approaches toward more inclusive governance models and the recognition of communities as full partners rather than passive beneficiaries.

![Benefit-sharing-2.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Benefit_sharing_2_958345a3b4.jpg)

## Reforest’Action’s approach: structuring benefit sharing from project design

While international standards provide a framework for benefit sharing, its concrete implementation largely depends on project developers’ methodological choices. At Reforest’Action, this dimension is structured from the design phase to ensure sustainable local value creation.

### Direct contributions embedded in the project budget

Our evaluation of benefit sharing is grounded in a principle of transparency: clearly distinguishing the resources required for project implementation from those allocated to benefit sharing with local communities. This distinction avoids any confusion between investments necessary for generating carbon impact and mechanisms designed to redistribute value.

Accordingly, financial resources directly mobilized for project implementation (such as purchasing seedlings or operating nurseries), and contributing directly to carbon sequestration, are not considered part of benefit sharing.
Benefit sharing instead concerns co-benefits—contributions that directly improve living conditions and economic prospects for local communities—taking several complementary forms:

- Direct monetary contributions: communities participating in projects may receive direct financial compensation linked to their involvement, for instance for maintaining planted trees or transitioning agricultural practices over the long term. Monetary benefits are carefully structured: payments are targeted and regulated to avoid disrupting local economies or social dynamics. They may take the form of partial compensation for labor provided during project establishment, combined with an in-kind contribution from farmers. This approach recognizes participant engagement while preserving intrinsic motivation beyond financial incentives. 
- Direct non-monetary contributions: projects may also provide equipment, tools, and agricultural inputs to improve practices and productivity. 
- Community-level contributions: part of the project’s benefits is allocated to collective initiatives (often via village funds), such as building wells, improving local infrastructure, or supporting agricultural cooperatives. 

These contributions are embedded in the project’s initial budget and delivered from the early years of implementation. This reflects an expanded vision of benefit sharing: value creation for communities does not depend solely on future carbon revenues, but begins from the earliest project stages, supporting local economic dynamics, building trust, and ensuring sustained engagement.

### Value creation through agricultural value chains and practice transformation

In agroforestry projects in particular, value creation extends beyond financial redistribution mechanisms. The integration of trees into agricultural systems enables diversification of income sources—through fruit production, non-timber forest products, or other commodities—while also improving yields through ecosystem services and fostering the development of local value chains for processing and commercialization.

Such projects become drivers of territorial development and catalysts for sustainable agricultural activity even before generating their first carbon credits. In this model, most of the value generated is captured locally, with carbon revenues acting as a complementary stream.

### Carbon credit sharing: a complementary redistribution mechanism

Finally, benefit sharing includes a mechanism for distributing carbon credits generated by the project, whereby a portion is allocated to local communities. These revenues fall into a specific category: market-dependent benefits derived from the issuance, trading, and sale of carbon credits on voluntary markets. They constitute an additional income stream complementing other value-creation mechanisms.

The distribution of these revenues depends on the institutional and legal context in which the project operates. It may involve multiple stakeholders—land or carbon rights holders, communities, developers, investors, or public authorities—depending on national frameworks and governance structures. Increasingly, these mechanisms are regulated through legal or policy frameworks defining allocation rules and recognition of carbon rights.

By nature, the economic value of carbon credits remains variable. It depends not only on project performance and verified outcomes, but also on broader market dynamics, including price trends, demand levels, regulatory changes, and geopolitical context. In other words, these revenues are partly determined by factors external to the project itself.

At Reforest’Action, allocating a share of carbon credits to communities integrates these market dynamics into a territorial redistribution logic. The revenues generated can support village funds financing locally defined collective projects—such as infrastructure, agricultural initiatives, or community programs—thereby strengthening local development dynamics. This mechanism creates a durable alignment of interests: the greater the project’s measurable environmental impact and market value, the greater the resources redistributed to communities. However, it remains a complementary lever. By nature delayed and dependent on market conditions, these revenues arrive too late to support initial community engagement and practice adoption, and therefore cannot replace other value-creation mechanisms.

### Structuring benefit sharing over time: between immediate incentives and long-term alignment

Taken individually, each of these mechanisms addresses a specific dimension of benefit sharing. Their effectiveness, however, depends on how they are articulated over time. An approach relying solely on carbon revenues is not operationally viable. The time required to generate and monetize credits—often several years—does not meet the immediate economic needs of communities nor support early-stage engagement.

Benefit sharing therefore relies on a combination of complementary mechanisms: non-conditional short-term benefits, essential to generate interest, facilitate recruitment, and support transitions in practices (including in cases of temporary income loss), and performance- or impact-based benefits, which operate over the medium to long term to ensure sustained alignment of stakeholder interests.

![Benefit-sharing-3.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Benefit_sharing_3_570d913ceb.jpg)

**Benefit sharing is now a cornerstone of the integrity of carbon projects. By ensuring an equitable distribution of the value created, it strengthens both environmental credibility and social legitimacy. At Reforest’Action, this approach is grounded in a simple conviction: the success of ecosystem restoration projects depends on the prosperity of the territories that sustain them. By embedding benefit sharing at the heart of project design and rigorously evaluating its implementation, carbon finance can, beyond its contribution to climate mitigation, fully support sustainable development pathways at the local level.**



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From Carbon to Local Value Creation: Our Approach to Benefit Sharing

In recent years, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has established itself as the leading framework for corporate climate strategies. More than 10,400 companies across over 100 countries and 50 sectors have already committed to this approach, which is aligned with the latest findings of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

The [SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard](https://sciencebasedtargets.org/net-zero) (CNZS) enables organizations to define a carbon emissions reduction pathway across their entire value chain (Scopes 1, 2 and often 3) by setting near-term and long-term targets, allowing them to reach net zero by 2050.

**While the SBTi places strong emphasis on emissions reductions, it has never limited corporate climate action to this single lever. From the outset, it has also recognized the importance of mobilizing finance for climate mitigation beyond companies’ value chains. Even with ambitious reductions, the transition to global net zero will require a large-scale deployment of emission avoidance and carbon removal solutions, including Nature-based Solutions (NbS), as highlighted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).**

![SBTi guideline_EN.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/SB_Ti_guideline_EN_4c59468d44.jpg)

## BVCM: Climate contribution at the core of SBTi recommendations

One of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of the SBTi framework concerns the role and implementation of climate contribution mechanisms beyond companies’ value chains. Yet since the publication of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard in 2021, the initiative has actively encouraged companies to take such action through the [Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) framework.](https://sciencebasedtargets.org/beyond-value-chain-mitigation)

### The BVCM framework promoted by the SBTi

BVCM refers to a company financing climate mitigation activities outside its value chain, while simultaneously implementing its validated emissions reduction pathway. This includes supporting projects that avoid emissions as well as projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere. Within this approach, Nature-based Solutions are highlighted by the SBTi as essential tools for climate change mitigation.

### A virtuous complement to emissions reduction targets

This mechanism is commonly referred to as carbon contribution. Its objective is straightforward: accelerate global climate action by channeling greater private finance toward high-impact – and often underfunded – climate solutions, while enabling companies to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SBTi also emphasizes that this approach brings strategic benefits for companies. Over time, it helps accelerate the global transition to net zero, defined as reducing 90 to 95% of a company’s emissions by 2050, combined with the full neutralization of residual emissions, notably through carbon removal projects.
Strategic climate finance can also help companies mitigate climate-related risks while strengthening their long-term financial resilience and value creation.

### A voluntary yet evolving framework

At this stage, the BVCM framework remains voluntary and is not subject to formal validation by the SBTi. However, the initiative encourages companies to structure their approach by:

- defining a clear beyond-value-chain commitment framework (objectives, timeline and scope)
- supporting projects that meet key environmental integrity criteria (additionality, permanence, and avoidance of double counting)
- prioritizing third-party verified projects based on standardized methodologies
- establishing measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems
- communicating transparently on supported projects and achieved impacts

The SBTi also encourages ambitious levels of engagement—for example, by supporting mitigation activities delivering emission reductions or removals equivalent to at least 50% of a company’s unabated emissions.

## OER: Toward greater corporate climate responsibility

The revision of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard, with a draft published in November 2025, suggests that beyond-value-chain climate contributions are likely to play an increasingly significant role. In this updated version of the standard, the SBTi introduces a more structured framework: Ongoing Emissions Responsibility (OER).

### From voluntary contribution to climate responsibility

While BVCM encouraged voluntary contributions, the proposed OER framework introduces a more structured approach. Companies are invited to take explicit responsibility for the emissions they continue to generate during their transition to net zero. This mechanism creates a clearer link between companies’ historical and ongoing emissions and their contribution to addressing the global climate crisis. The objective is to embed carbon contribution more firmly within corporate climate and financial strategies.

### Quantified targets and recognition mechanisms

Although the draft standard is currently being reviewed by the SBTi, it introduces several key developments:
 
- **recognition of corporate engagement** through two levels (“recognized” and “leadership”) designed to promote reputational incentives
 
- **quantified contribution targets,** expressed either in tCO₂e (Mitigation Impact Contributions) or financial contributions per tCO₂e (Climate Finance Contributions), enabling clearer comparison of commitments
 
- strong encouragement to **integrate climate contribution into corporate climate strategies,** notably through the implementation of an internal carbon price, and the possibility that the framework could become mandatory for certain companies by 2035
 
- a preference for **measurable and verified climate impacts,** often through certified carbon credits, although other projects may be accepted if they demonstrate credible and verifiable climate benefits

However, one fundamental principle remains unchanged as companies approach 2050: in order to achieve net zero, they must fully neutralize 100% of their residual emissions. 

The direction proposed in the Draft Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0 sends a strong signal to companies: contributing beyond their value chain is no longer merely a complementary action, but rather a strategic climate solution to be deployed alongside emissions reduction efforts.

Whether through the BVCM framework – already in place – or the currently under review Ongoing Emissions Responsibility (OER) framework, these mechanisms share a common objective: accelerating climate action today rather than waiting until the net-zero target year to mobilize the necessary solutions.

**In this context, financing carbon projects is increasingly emerging as a meaningful pathway to support a company’s SBTi trajectory, alongside the strict emissions reduction pathways implemented within its value chain.**

## Nature-based Solutions to support SBTi climate contribution strategies

[Nature-based Solutions](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/magazine/what-are-nature-based-solutions) (NbS) are particularly well suited to building high-integrity climate contribution strategies. In addition to enabling carbon storage – with forests representing the largest terrestrial carbon sink – they deliver essential co-benefits for biodiversity, soil health, water systems and local communities. Investing in NbS therefore allows companies to align climate strategy with broader ESG objectives, moving beyond a purely carbon-centric approach.

### Anticipating near-term SBTi targets

To date, more than 10,000 companies have committed to the SBTi with near-term targets covering a 5- to 10-year timeframe, many of which converge around 2030. In this context, climate contribution represents an actionable lever that companies can activate today to maximize their climate impact under the BVCM framework while continuing to implement emissions reduction pathways.

At the same time, new quality standards and integrity frameworks are emerging in the voluntary carbon market, contributing to a more robust ecosystem for climate projects. Despite these improvements, the supply of high-integrity projects remains limited, largely due to chronic underfunding. As a result, it is becoming strategically important for companies to secure their climate contribution commitments early.

**With this in mind, Reforest’Action develops Nature-based Solutions, particularly through forest ecosystem projects, to support companies in achieving their 2030 climate objectives.**

### A portfolio of solutions tailored to corporate needs

With over 15 years of experience in Nature-based Solutions, Reforest’Action offers a range of solutions designed to help companies secure climate contributions beyond their value chains. Through a diversified set of projects - including forest restoration, agroforestry and tropical forest conservation initiatives - certified or verified by recognized third parties and spanning different geographies and pricing levels, companies can build carbon project portfolios aligned with their operational constraints and climate objectives.

The **carbon units** generated by our projects are available for immediate mobilization and can therefore be integrated into short-term SBTi strategies:

- **REDD+ carbone credits:** Carbon credits certified under recognized standards (VCS, CCB) generated by projects that protect tropical forests threatened by deforestation or forest degradation. These projects contribute to biodiversity conservation while supporting sustainable economic opportunities for local communities.
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- **Label bas-carbone credits:** Forestry projects developed by Reforest’Action and certified under France’s Label Bas-Carbone, contributing to the (re)forestation of French forests. The Label Bas-Carbone currently represents the only official certification framework for quantifying nature-based carbon removal in France, supporting the French National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC).

- **Carbon units from verified projects:** (Agro)forestry projects developed by Reforest’Action with 30-year carbon sequestration projections validated by Bureau Veritas, combined with an independent field audit after five years, ensuring transparency and environmental integrity.


As the SBTi evolves from voluntary climate contribution toward a more structured approach to corporate climate responsibility, beyond-value-chain contributions are becoming increasingly central to corporate climate strategies.
For companies, acting beyond the value chain does not mean acting in isolation from their core business. On the contrary, high-integrity climate action can be anchored locally, closely connected to territories, ecosystems and corporate stakeholders.

In this context, Nature-based Solutions offer a concrete opportunity to support companies in achieving their near-term SBTi targets while generating positive environmental and social impacts where they matter most.

**Discover how Reforest’Action’s solutions can support your climate strategy.**


_Note: Activities and investments related to BVCM and OER frameworks are not accounted for within Scope 1, 2 or 3 emissions and do not contribute to value-chain emissions reduction targets. They therefore cannot replace corporate decarbonization efforts._



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Carbon contribution under the SBTi: The growing role of  Nature-based Solutions

**As climate disruption intensifies and regulatory and scientific frameworks continue to evolve, companies are now faced with heightened expectations regarding the maturity and robustness of their climate strategies. The unequivocal priority remains the rapid and deep reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain. Yet, however essential this transformation may be, it cannot deliver immediate or comprehensive results. In the interim, a significant share of emissions remains unavoidable. It is within this space that voluntary climate contribution takes shape—more specifically, the support of climate projects beyond a company’s direct operational perimeter.**

## When Climate Risks Become Economic Risks

The increasing frequency and severity of climate-related events, the growing scarcity of natural resources, the loss of essential ecosystem services, and the weakening of agricultural and water systems constitute systemic shocks capable of eroding productivity, disrupting supply chains, and weighing heavily on global economic growth in the decades ahead.

Recent scientific reviews and institutional analyses converge on a shared conclusion: risks linked to climate inaction and accelerating biodiversity loss now represent a major source of macroeconomic instability. Central banks have emphasized that environmental crises can disrupt traditional economic cycles and undermine financial stability and growth. National economic simulations published by INSEE suggest that, absent a planned transition, climate inaction could cost several points of GDP in certain economies by the end of the century. Likewise, international organizations such as the OECD identify biodiversity loss and climate change as long-term threats to economic activity, societal well-being, and financial stability.
The challenge therefore lies in the ability of economic actors to significantly increase their positive contributions—both direct and indirect—by channeling capital at the scale required toward solutions capable of restoring ecosystems and strengthening territorial resilience.

## From Compensation to Structured Climate Contribution

Offsetting has long been understood as a corrective mechanism, deployed after the fact to “neutralize” residual emissions. This interpretation—now largely outdated—no longer reflects scientific realities nor the growing expectations around climate credibility. Driven by evolving scientific standards and increasing societal scrutiny, offsetting is progressively being reframed as a more structured form of climate contribution, fully complementary to science-aligned decarbonization pathways and consistent with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

In this context, financing climate projects—without necessarily relying on carbon credits—constitutes a critical lever for territorial transformation, delivering climate, ecological, and socio-economic benefits.

## Nature-Based Solutions as a Cornerstone of Climate Contribution

Within the spectrum of carbon contribution options, nature-based solutions occupy a strategic position. Forest restoration, afforestation, and agroforestry projects serve a dual imperative: contributing to climate change mitigation while enhancing the resilience of ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them.

Beyond carbon sequestration, such projects generate decisive co-benefits for biodiversity, soil health, hydrological regulation, and local socio-economic development. At a time when investment in nature must triple by 2030 to meet global climate targets, directing private financial flows toward these solutions represents a powerful lever for scaling impact.

## What Companies Stand to Gain
For companies, this approach offers several structural advantages at the intersection of climate performance, economic resilience, and long-term value creation.

### Contributing to Collective Mitigation Efforts

By supporting climate projects beyond their value chain—under the logic of BVCM (Beyond Value Chain Mitigation)—companies can contribute meaningfully to global mitigation efforts through quantifiable and verifiable outcomes, independently of the often lengthy transformation cycles of operations and supply chains.

### Strengthening Resilience to Climate and Economic Risks

By channeling capital toward ecosystem restoration and protection projects, companies help mitigate growing macroeconomic risks linked to climate disruption and biodiversity erosion—risks that directly threaten market stability, supply chain continuity, and long-term value creation.

### Enhancing the Credibility and Robustness of Climate Commitments

Supporting high-integrity projects—grounded in rigorous methodologies and independent verification mechanisms—enables companies to demonstrate a structured and demanding approach to climate contribution, aligned with stakeholder expectations and international reference frameworks.

### Embedding Climate Strategy Within a Long-Term Value Creation Logic

By integrating climate contribution into a long-term investment perspective rather than a purely compensatory logic, companies reinforce the alignment between climate performance and positive impacts on biodiversity, water resources, and local communities—responding to growing expectations around integrated climate-nature strategies and extra-financial performance.

_>> Taken together, these levers make climate contribution beyond the value chain a genuine strategic choice for companies. By voluntarily directing capital toward ecosystem restoration projects, businesses participate in financing essential global commons—climate stability, territorial resilience, and the preservation of ecosystem services—upon which both economies and societies ultimately depend. In a context where public financing remains insufficient relative to the scale of the challenge, private sector engagement becomes a decisive accelerator of the transition toward pathways compatible with planetary boundaries. Climate contribution thus extends beyond corporate interest alone and becomes part of a broader public interest dynamic._

## Reforest’Action Added Value: Enabling High-Integrity Carbon Contribution

Our approach to offsetting is grounded in a strong conviction: only a rigorous and demanding climate contribution, built on multifunctional projects, can generate durable impacts commensurate with today’s climate and environmental challenges.

### Fifteen Years of Experience in Ecosystem Restoration

For over fifteen years, we have developed ecosystem restoration projects across France, Europe, and tropical regions. These initiatives encompass a wide range of typologies—afforestation and reforestation, agroforestry, hedgerow restoration, mangrove rehabilitation—and are designed within a multifunctional framework that simultaneously addresses climate mitigation, biodiversity enhancement, soil-water system dynamics, and local socio-economic development.

### Robust Methodologies Ensuring Project Integrity

The robustness of this approach rests first and foremost on the quality of the methodologies deployed. Carbon quantification relies on recognized standards and independent certification or verification processes—both in France and internationally—in compliance with Voluntary Carbon Market criteria (additionality, measurability, permanence, uniqueness). This methodological rigor provides companies with strong guarantees regarding traceability, measurability, and the long-term durability of impacts generated.

### Supporting Both Short- and Long-Term Contribution Horizons

Reforest’Action further distinguishes itself through its ability to support companies across all contribution horizons:
- In the short term, by providing access to certified or independently verified (agro)forestry projects;
- In the longer term, by structuring portfolios of carbon sequestration projects currently under development, enabling companies to anticipate future net-zero requirements and secure access to high-integrity nature-based solutions.

### Territorial Anchoring as a Guarantee of Project Durability

Territorial anchoring is a central pillar of our approach. Projects are designed and implemented in direct collaboration with local partners, within territories where ecological, social, and economic dynamics are carefully integrated. The presence of locally based Project Officers and governance frameworks involving stakeholders ensures rigorous operational execution and value-sharing rooted within communities.

By combining sectoral expertise, methodological rigor, and strong field presence, Reforest’Action supports companies in building climate contribution strategies aligned with the most demanding scientific frameworks—strategies capable of delivering lasting territorial impact beyond carbon sequestration alone.

**In light of the scale of climate and ecological challenges, transforming value chains—while essential—cannot suffice on its own. Supporting climate projects beyond one’s operational perimeter has become a critical complementary lever, enabling companies to combine immediate impact, long-term risk management, and credibility of commitments. When grounded in high-integrity projects, anchored in territories and built on robust methodologies, climate contribution becomes a genuine tool of transformation—serving ecosystem resilience and the transition toward regenerative economic models.** 

_Are you a company seeking to act for the climate beyond your value chain by supporting high-quality, certified or independently verified (agro)forestry projects? [Contact one of our experts](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/contact) to explore how we can support your strategy._


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Beyond Value Chain Mitigation : a strategic lever for climate action

**In a context of increasingly stringent reporting requirements and rising expectations for credibility from investors, companies’ ability to measure, disclose, and manage their greenhouse gas emissions has become a strategic imperative. Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the GHG Protocol is now established as the international methodological reference for greenhouse gas accounting.**

## A Common Architecture Based on Scopes 1, 2 and 3

The GHG Protocol is built on a harmonised approach to emissions accounting, structured around Scopes 1, 2 and 3, which respectively cover direct emissions, emissions associated with purchased energy, and all other indirect emissions across the value chain. This architecture enables data comparability and underpins the consistency of the main climate action frameworks.

## The Foundation of Regulatory and Voluntary Frameworks

As such, the GHG Protocol provides the operational basis for key frameworks such as the CSRD, which governs regulatory climate disclosures in Europe, the SBTi, which validates science-based emissions reduction targets, and, more broadly, the implementation of the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement at the organisational level.

## A New Standard for the Land Sector and Carbon Removals

In line with this effort to strengthen methodological consistency, the GHG Protocol has recently published its first standard dedicated to the land sector and carbon removals (Land Sector and Removals – LSR). This new framework addresses a long-standing gap by introducing robust, science-based rules for accounting for emissions from agriculture and CO₂ removals associated with land use—an essential yet until now insufficiently structured lever of climate transition pathways.

## A Progressive Evolution

Developed through a rigorous, transparent and inclusive five-year process, the LSR Standard enables companies to access more comparable and decision-useful information to manage and assess progress toward net-zero pathways. However, it does not yet include specific requirements related to forest carbon accounting, which will be addressed through future work and stakeholder consultations. This progressive evolution illustrates how climate reference frameworks are increasingly and carefully integrating issues related to living systems and ecosystems.

**As methodological frameworks continue to mature and gain precision, the credibility of climate strategies increasingly depends on their ability to combine emissions reductions with a robust consideration of the role of nature. Nature-based solutions, particularly those linked to terrestrial ecosystems, represent a critical lever for climate action, provided they are implemented within transparent, scientifically robust frameworks aligned with international best practices. In this context, Reforest’Action develops and implements high-integrity regenerative agriculture and carbon sequestration projects, offering companies concrete solutions to structure and secure their climate contribution over both the short and long term, in line with the evolving reference frameworks and growing expectations for credibility and measurable impact.**


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The GHG Protocol publishes a new standard dedicated to the land sector and carbon removals

**While carbon credit markets have long been shaped by a wide range of private standards, the European Union is now seeking to establish a common language around an issue that has become central to climate neutrality: projects contributing to the reduction and removal of CO₂ in Europe. In this context, the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) represents a major structural milestone. Adopted in its core principles in 2024, this European framework aims to harmonise how certain carbon removal and storage activities are measured, certified, verified and monitored, in order to strengthen the comparability and credibility of the results claimed. For companies and investors, the stakes are immediate. As requirements for transparency, monitoring and impact measurement continue to rise, the ability to clearly distinguish between what constitutes emissions reductions and what qualifies as carbon removals has become a key credibility factor. The CRCF does not merely acknowledge the role of removals; it seeks to define the conditions under which they can be demonstrated, framed over time, and made intelligible to stakeholders.**

## A European framework to certify carbon removals

Climate neutrality rests first and foremost on a massive reduction of emissions across scopes 1, 2 and 3. However, long-term pathways also recognise the need to scale up carbon removals—whether nature-based or technological—particularly to address a share of residual emissions that are difficult to eliminate. In this context, the challenge is to ensure that the removals mobilised meet sufficiently robust integrity criteria, supported by explicit and coherent accounting rules.

This is precisely the ambition of the CRCF: to create a European certification infrastructure—voluntary yet structuring—designed to reduce fragmentation, raise the level of requirements, and make results comparable, traceable and verifiable.

## Three categories of activities, one shared logic

The CRCF is intended to frame the certification of three main categories of activities.
First, so-called permanent removals, which refer to forms of storage designed to last over long time horizons, often associated with industrial or geological solutions. Second, carbon farming activities, which encompass nature-based practices aimed at increasing carbon storage in biomass and soils. Finally, the framework covers carbon storage in products, where carbon is incorporated into materials or goods with a significant lifetime.

This structuring marks an important shift: the focus is no longer solely on carbon units in the traditional sense, but on certified activities under a European framework, supported by a harmonised approach to verification and monitoring. By defining the conditions under which CO₂ removal can become a demonstrable and durable result, recognised through a common methodology, the CRCF will enable the issuance of carbon credits within the European Union under a shared standard recognised by both EU institutions and Member States.

## Turning carbon removal into a verifiable result

At the core of the CRCF lies the central role of evidence. For a carbon removal to become a trusted instrument, it must be based on robust quantification, explicit measurement rules, and the ability to be audited. This requirement goes beyond the headline volume: it also applies to the conditions that underpin credibility—additionality, storage duration, management of reversal risks, data transparency, and long-term monitoring.

Quality thus becomes a demonstrable attribute, grounded in methodology and governance, rather than a purely declarative label.

## A framework under construction

The CRCF is currently in its operationalisation phase. The general framework adopted in December 2024 sets out the architecture, but its practical implementation depends on the development of methodologies, verification rules and registries capable of translating principles into fully executable requirements, depending on project types (agricultural, forestry, technological, etc.).

This process is already visible through draft delegated acts—legal instruments through which the European Commission specifies certain elements of a regulation, under a mandate from the legislator, in order to make its application operational—two of which have already circulated in view of their adoption. The delegated act covering certain nature-based projects (including agroforestry and afforestation) is currently subject to public consultation, with publication expected in spring 2026.

These draft texts illustrate an already highly structuring evolution: the European Union does not treat nature-based solutions as a homogeneous block, but advances through distinct methodologies tailored to the realities of specific practices. Two carbon farming approaches are detailed in particular: agroforestry and plantation (afforestation). Without prejudging their final versions, these documents confirm the overall direction of the CRCF: a certification framework grounded in evidence, requiring a scientifically based baseline definition, demonstration of additionality, explicit quantification rules, and long-term monitoring, with heightened attention to permanence and reversal risk.
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n other words, Europe is not merely encouraging nature-based removals; it is seeking to define the conditions of their robustness, in order to make these results more comparable and more credible for economic actors.

## What this could change for companies and investors

For companies and investors alike, the CRCF carries a central implication: it makes carbon reduction and removal projects more legible by establishing a European standard recognised by public institutions. The credibility of a climate strategy will no longer hinge solely on the existence of a budget allocated to sequestration or removal projects, but on the ability to clearly explain the nature of the certified activity, the quantification methodology, the duration of storage, the associated safeguards and the monitoring arrangements.

This is a decisive point for net-zero strategies. It encourages early clarification between emissions reductions—which must remain the foundation—and the mobilisation of removals as a complementary instrument, whether as a contribution or as a means of addressing residual emissions, depending on the reference frameworks adopted. By progressively harmonising and auditing methodologies, the CRCF raises expectations around evidence and documentation, directly influencing project selection criteria as well as the formulation of public commitments.

For investors, the CRCF signals a maturing landscape. It opens the way to a more structured environment for certified removals, with improved visibility on risks related to quality, monitoring and permanence—without, however, eliminating the need for thorough due diligence.

## Reforest’Action’s approach: high-integrity, nature-based projects

Corporate climate contributions are most meaningful when they rely on projects capable of delivering demonstrable results, monitored over time and aligned with increasingly demanding frameworks. Reforest’Action operates within this dynamic by developing and implementing high-integrity, nature-based carbon sequestration projects, with a rigorous approach to measurement, traceability and transparency—offering organisations concrete solutions to structure their climate contribution over both the short and long term.

**The CRCF marks a major shift. Europe is no longer merely acknowledging the role of carbon removals; it is actively creating the conditions for their certification and comparability. By establishing a common, structuring framework, the CRCF raises the bar on evidence, monitoring and durability of certified results, and accelerates a transformation already underway: the transition from a fragmented landscape to a more legible, harmonised and auditable reference system. For companies and investors, understanding this framework becomes a strategic advantage—not only because it clarifies the conditions under which a carbon removal action can be considered credible by the European Union, but also because it reshapes market expectations. Tomorrow, the value of a carbon project will lie not merely in the results announced, but in the robustness of its methodologies, the transparency of its safeguards, and the coherence of its uses within the European regulatory context.**

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CRCF: the first European framework for carbon reduction and removal projects

**As the voluntary carbon market continues to mature and transparency requirements increase, the demonstration of additionality has become a decisive criterion for ensuring the integrity of carbon sequestration projects. In the field of Nature-based Solutions, where biophysical and socio-economic dynamics vary significantly from one territory to another, this requirement translates into the need for robust methodological tools capable of distinguishing the intrinsic effect of a project from the natural evolution of ecosystems. The VM0047 methodology developed under the Verra standard addresses this need by introducing the performance benchmark, a mechanism designed to assess the actual contribution of a reforestation project to carbon sequestration.**

**Reforest’Action has developed an ambitious operational application of this benchmark, relying on remote sensing data to strengthen the rigor of the assessment. By anchoring the analysis in the observed dynamics of vegetation, this approach makes it possible to establish the additionality of carbon sequestration achieved by projects and thereby provide companies and investors with a high level of assurance regarding their climate impact.**

## A Central Mechanism for the Integrity of ARR Projects

### The Requirement for Demonstrable Additionality

Additionality is a core determinant of the integrity of a carbon project. A carbon credit can only deliver environmental value if it corresponds to carbon sequestration that would not have occurred in the absence of carbon finance.

For forest projects—which may span tens of thousands of hectares, encompass multiple land-use types, and be influenced by a wide range of local socio-economic, political, and regulatory factors (such as agricultural land profitability, public policies supporting reforestation, or local land tenure dynamics)—demonstrating additionality represents a particular challenge.

Assessing each situation individually may lead to heterogeneous evaluations and difficult-to-compare arbitration across projects. To address this complexity while ensuring a consistent and coherent assessment framework, the VM0047 methodology under the Verra standard, which applies to afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation projects, relies on a standardized reference mechanism: the performance benchmark.

### Defining the Project’s Actual Contribution to Carbon Sequestration

Within VM0047, the performance benchmark serves as a reference threshold to determine whether a project is genuinely additional. In other words, it aims to quantify the actual contribution of a project to carbon storage at the parcel level over time, taking into account changes in land use across the project area. The contribution of a forest project to increased carbon sequestration is not the same in a region experiencing agricultural abandonment and the expansion of fallow land as it is in a region subject to agricultural intensification.

“The performance benchmark makes it possible to compare the overall regional trend in carbon sequestration with that of the implemented project,” explains Hugo Treuil-Dussouet, Geomatics and Remote Sensing Analyst at Reforest’Action. “This method allows us to determine the level of contribution a project makes to carbon sequestration on the parcels concerned. For example, in a parcel that has been reforested at 100% as part of a carbon project, the project may in fact only contribute to 70% of the carbon sequestration, given that the remaining 30% would have been sequestered through vegetation development even in the absence of the project.”

### Applying the Performance Benchmark at Reforest’Action

In line with the Verra methodology, Reforest’Action relies on remote sensing to observe vegetation dynamics. A donor area is first defined in order to delineate a sufficiently large zone characterized by legal, ecological, and management conditions similar to those of the project area. Within this zone, control plots are identified, which together constitute a dynamic baseline representing the natural evolution of vegetation cover in the absence of a reforestation project.

The comparison between the sequestration trajectories of project plots and those of control plots is based on a Stocking Index, specifically the Normalized Difference Fraction Index (NDFI). This indicator, derived from spectral unmixing, makes it possible to assess biomass levels, forest cover, and vegetation density. Observed at multiple points in time, it is used to establish an average trajectory reflecting vegetation dynamics.
When the sequestration curve of the project plots exceeds that of the control plots, the additional sequestration can be attributed to carbon finance.

This analysis is updated every five years, in line with the verification cycles required under VM0047, in order to ensure that the benchmark remains aligned with actual field conditions and accurately reflects project performance over time.

## A Response to Market Expectations

The approach developed by Reforest’Action to apply the performance benchmark under VM0047 directly contributes to strengthening the environmental and methodological integrity of certified projects. By relying on a robust biophysical proxy and regular updates, this method provides essential safeguards for the high integrity of the carbon credits generated through our projects.

### Reducing Uncertainty and Ensuring Transparency

Defining a donor area and control plots anchors the benchmark in a real, rather than theoretical, representation of vegetation evolution in the absence of a project. This approach offers two key advantages: it avoids biases associated with models or economic assumptions that often underpin ex ante additionality analyses, and it provides a dynamic baseline based on vegetation trajectories observed through remote sensing, thereby reducing scientific and methodological uncertainty. Reforest’Action thus strengthens the credibility of reported sequestration and limits the risk of overestimation.

The use of the NDFI, an indicator derived from spectral unmixing, ensures a standardized measurement of biomass and vegetation density. This tool offers several key benefits for carbon integrity:
- it relies on satellite data that are accessible, traceable, and verifiable;
- it enables continuous and consistent measurement of project performance;
- it enhances objectivity by removing reliance on declarative or subjective interpretations.

The use of a stable and recognized spectral proxy increases the transparency of the MRV (Monitoring, Reporting & Verification) process and facilitates the reproducibility of results by third-party auditors.

### Demonstrating the Impact of Carbon Finance

By comparing the sequestration curves of project plots with those of control plots, it becomes possible to demonstrate in a tangible way that the project’s sequestration trajectory exceeds the natural dynamics of local vegetation, and that this additional performance is directly attributable to carbon finance. This makes it possible to move from presumed additionality—typical of ex ante projection approaches—to additionality demonstrated through observed data. This distinction is critical for strengthening the credibility of carbon credits in the eyes of companies and investors.

### Integrating Environmental and Socio-Economic Changes

Updating the benchmark every five years, in line with the Verra standard’s verification cycles, ensures that the assessment remains aligned with real-world conditions. This periodic update prevents outdated or non-representative trajectories from continuing to serve as references, allows for the integration of changes in climate, land use, and management practices, and enhances the accuracy of sequestration estimates over the full life of the project. The benchmark is therefore not static; it is adaptive, which increases the robustness of the MRV framework and limits the risk of cumulative overestimation.

### Providing a Framework Aligned with Current Market Expectations

Reforest’Action’s approach fully addresses the growing expectations of the carbon market:
- environmental integrity, through real and verifiable measurements;
- comparability between projects, through a reproducible and standardized methodology;
- robust governance, through process auditing and transparency of the data used.

In a context where financial actors and companies require high levels of assurance before committing to sequestration projects, this approach represents a significant strategic advantage.


**Integrating the performance benchmark within VM0047-certified projects represents a key lever for ensuring their integrity and credibility. By mobilizing an approach based on the observation of vegetation trajectories and the regular updating of data, Reforest’Action enhances the precision of sequestration monitoring and demonstrates in a tangible manner the additional impact of carbon finance. This methodological rigor, supported by the use of a spectral proxy and dynamic control plots, is fully aligned with the evolution of international standards and responds to the growing expectations of economic actors engaged in the climate transition.**

**In a market where trust is built on the ability to measure, verify, and compare climate benefits, the approach developed by Reforest’Action provides a structured, transparent, and scientifically grounded framework. It also confirms the central role that remote sensing technologies can play in improving the quality of Nature-based Solutions, paving the way for safer, more ambitious, and truly transformative investments for ecosystems and the climate.**

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The Performance Benchmark in the Verra VM0047 Methodology: A Lever for Integrity in ARR Projects

**On the island of Sumba in Indonesia, the landscapes still bear the marks of long-standing deforestation. Starting in the late 19th century, under Dutch colonial rule, local forests rich in sandalwood were heavily exploited and converted into farmland. Deforestation—occurring within a hilly landscape subject to a climate prone to droughts and extreme rainfall—led to erosion and soil degradation. Today, the island is composed of vast stretches of limestone savannas cut through by deep ravines, where sparse vegetation, mainly grasses, serves as pasture for cattle and horse herds. The project led by Reforest’Action in Sumba aims to reverse this ecosystem degradation. Currently undergoing certification by the international Verra (VCS) standard via methodology VM0047, the project seeks to combine carbon sequestration, food security, and the creation of sustainable value chains.**

![Sumba-web-3.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Sumba_web_3_eb44f5aae2.jpg)

## A Project Design Tailored to the Environmental and Social Context

### Restoring Degraded Lands and Agricultural Productivity

Developed by Reforest’Action in partnership with CIFOR-ICRAF (Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry) and two Indonesian NGOs, the project addresses two main challenges: on the one hand, restoring soil fertility on Sumba through the creation of forests on previously deforested land and the development of diversified agroforestry systems; and on the other hand, strengthening the food and economic security of local communities, currently weakened by declining agricultural productivity.

To achieve this, an integrated landscape management model will be deployed to enhance ecosystem sustainability and resilience through adaptive, inclusive, and integrative strategies. By combining 37 tree species—including 20 native species—and five planting models adapted to the environmental and social context of the villages, the project aims to sequester 6.4 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent over 40 years while restoring key ecosystem functions such as water retention, erosion control, soil enrichment, and biodiversity preservation.

### A Project Design Serving Ecological and Economic Resilience

Within the project design, each model contributes to a balance between environmental restoration and economic value creation.

The project aims to:

- recreate productive forests, notably composed of timber species and sandalwood, on degraded lands far from inhabited areas, to enable sustainable long-term timber production;
- restore natural secondary forests on community lands to strengthen ecosystem services without timber exploitation.

The design also includes three agroforestry system models:

- integration of fruit and forest trees in multi-strata systems near villages, enhancing food production and short-term economic resilience;
- planting coffee fields under the shade of diverse trees to improve yields and quality thanks to vegetation cover that regulates temperature and humidity;
- development of alley-cropping systems that enrich conventionally cultivated fields by combining fruit and forest trees with annual crops.

While generating certified carbon credits, the project therefore supports local economic stability as well as measurable ecosystem and social impacts.

![Sumba-web-2.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Sumba_web_2_f43142aa0f.jpg)

## A Holistic Strategy Serving Ecological and Economic Resilience

### Embedding Sandalwood into a Sustainable Value Chain

Sandalwood (Santalum album) is an emblematic Indonesian species historically at the heart of Sumba’s economy. Overexploitation of this precious wood during the colonial period (from the late 19th century until Indonesia’s independence in 1945) drastically reduced natural populations, making sandalwood a species now classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.

The project aims to reintroduce sandalwood sustainably into local agricultural and forestry systems. This species is hemiparasitic—unable to absorb soil nutrients on its own—and requires a host plant to grow, which justifies its integration into mixed agroforestry systems.

Its reintroduction will help rebuild an exportable economic resource while ensuring its sustainable management through a plan regulating harvesting practices. Because heartwood, which contains the essential oil, forms only after 10 to 15 years of growth, optimal harvesting occurs from year 20 onward. A local governance mechanism will therefore be established to plan these cycles fairly, ensuring ecological sustainability of the resource and economic stability for beneficiary communities. As a native species, sandalwood will also help restore local biodiversity.

### Promoting Community Empowerment and Governance

The project’s success relies on the direct involvement of local communities in every phase—from preparation to planting activities, maintenance, and plot management.

The local team, already active in 25 partner villages, supports farmer groups in a collective implementation approach: each group, made up of around 30 households, works in a coordinated manner on the plots, supported by village facilitators who ensure compliance with technical protocols.

Community nurseries supply the project with seedlings, while a training program aims to strengthen the technical and organizational capacities of farmers involved in the project (nursery management, soil fertilization techniques, pest control, water management, tree pruning, financial management, participatory governance…).

A community forest management plan is developed jointly with local authorities, ensuring long-term ownership of the project.

Benefits from the sale of carbon credits will also be partially redistributed to cooperatives, farmer groups, and women’s associations under an equitable and transparent governance model.

### Developing Local and Sustainable Value Chains

The project includes an economic strategy to develop local value chains around products with high potential: sandalwood, cashew nuts, coffee, candlenuts, teak, and mahogany. Designed according to the principles of the circular bioeconomy, these sectors aim to create stable market opportunities and additional income for producers, while promoting local processing and commercialization of commodities and building community expertise.

This model supports inclusive growth and lays the groundwork for progressive economic independence for communities. Income diversification will strengthen household resilience and reduce reliance on subsistence crops. Women, in particular, will benefit from improved access to these opportunities through the development of small local businesses and women’s cooperatives.

### Embedding Gender Equality in Project Governance

Gender equality is a central pillar of the Sumba project. The project is designed for women—both in its conception, by intentionally involving them in consultations and contracts, and in its implementation, by taking into account their specific constraints.

Targeted training programs aim to strengthen women’s entrepreneurial, financial, and organizational skills. These programs will also emphasize leadership and public speaking to ensure that women’s contributions are fully recognized by the community. The project will engage male leaders to ensure broad community support while respecting traditional structures.

An inclusive recruitment policy further guarantees women’s participation in decision-making roles, especially within village committees and project governance structures.

By fostering women’s leadership, the project strengthens social sustainability within local governance while enhancing the economic performance of agricultural operations.

![Sumba-web-1.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Sumba_web_1_fd32dd8982.jpg)

**Designed to meet the high-integrity requirements of international carbon certification standards, particularly Verra (VCS), the Sumba project represents a high-impact investment opportunity for funders. It guarantees traceability and independent verification of emission reductions, additionality and permanence of sequestration activities, and alignment with ESG principles and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, and 15).**

**Over a 40-year period, it will enable the sequestration of 321 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per hectare, totaling 6.4 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Beyond its climate impact, the project will help restore natural ecosystems and island biodiversity, improve food security and rural incomes, and strengthen local capacities in sustainable natural resource management.**

**The Sumba project thus illustrates the ability of high-integrity carbon projects to generate multiple co-benefits beyond carbon sequestration. For investors, it represents an opportunity to engage in a measurable, verifiable approach aligned with international ESG standards. By supporting the project, financial partners contribute to ecosystem restoration, preservation of an emblematic tree species, and the construction of a resilient and inclusive rural economy. Interested in seizing this impact investment opportunity? [Contact us to discuss your needs!](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/contact)**


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Sumba: Investing in a Carbon Project with Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact

**After four years of suspension, Indonesia is finally reopening the door to international carbon credit trading. This major regulatory shift could position the country as a strategic hub of the global carbon market—at the crossroads of sovereignty, transparency, and ecological transition. The timing is particularly significant for Reforest’Action’s carbon project on the island of Sumba, Indonesia.**

## Indonesia’s carbon market: a gradual structuring

### A moratorium to regain control

In 2021, Indonesia decided to suspend all carbon credit exports. Behind this move lay a clear political intention: to regain control over a booming market where some projects—particularly those linked to avoided deforestation (REDD+)—had raised concerns regarding their integrity and the fair distribution of benefits.
The moratorium, presented as a temporary measure, was designed to give the government time to develop a robust domestic regulatory framework.

### Building a domestic market, step by step

In the years that followed, Indonesian authorities began structuring a national carbon market. Initially designed around the compliance market, this framework provided little visibility for actors in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) or for project developers seeking to rely on international standards such as Gold Standard or Verra.

The launch of the Indonesian carbon exchange, IDX Carbon, in January 2025 marked an important milestone. For the first time, international actors were allowed to participate—although trading remained limited to “tech-based” credits from emission reduction technologies such as renewable energy or energy efficiency. 

### Mutual Recognition Agreements: the key to openness

From spring 2025 onwards, the Indonesian government accelerated its efforts. A series of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) signaled a new direction: opening up to international standards, but under controlled conditions.

A Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) is a formal understanding between a country and an international carbon certification standard such as Verra or Gold Standard. In practice, it allows the state to officially recognize credits certified under these standards, while requiring projects to be registered on the national platform. It is therefore both a cooperation and oversight tool—facilitating international credit trade while maintaining the host country’s regulatory sovereignty.

In 2025, Indonesia signed several MRAs—first with Gold Standard in May, then with Verra in October. These agreements mark a paradigm shift: Indonesia is choosing regulated cooperation over administrative isolation.

## Lifting of the Indonesian moratorium: a turning point for the carbon market

### October 2025: A Decisive Step Forward

On October 10, 2025, a new presidential regulation revoked the 2021 decree and once again authorized international sales of carbon credits. The new regulation officially opens the Indonesian market to the voluntary sector, recognizes international standards, and—most notably—allows for optional use of Corresponding Adjustments depending on project type.
Corresponding Adjustments (CAs) are an accounting mechanism stemming from Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. They aim to prevent double counting of emission reductions: when a country exports a carbon credit, it must subtract that reduction from its own climate commitments, ensuring that the same credit is not counted twice (once by the seller country and once by the buyer). By allowing optional CAs, Indonesia now enables both state-to-state and private-sector transactions—offering flexibility while remaining aligned with international transparency principles.

Ahead of COP30, further guidelines are expected, particularly regarding the Verra agreement. By October 2026, additional regulations will define fiscal regimes, buffer mechanisms, and other technical parameters.

### A thriving market and a strong signal to investors

The reopening of Indonesia’s carbon market has generated strong international enthusiasm. Investors view this as a sign of regulatory maturity and a strategic opportunity: a major forested country, rich in biodiversity, is opening to global cooperation while establishing strong safeguards.

For Indonesia, the stakes are twofold: attracting the international financing needed to meet its climate goals, while ensuring equitable benefit-sharing with local communities and ecosystems.

For actors in the voluntary reforestation market, this evolution opens new horizons. Project developers can now pursue hybrid approaches—combining international certification with local transparency and monitoring requirements.

Buyers, in turn, benefit from improved traceability and stronger regulatory security—two essential pillars for market credibility.


**Indonesia today exemplifies a broader global trend: that of Global South countries reclaiming ownership of their natural resources while actively engaging in international carbon markets.
This strategy of “sovereign openness” could inspire other forest nations ahead of COP30 and help redefine the long-term rules of the global carbon market.
Reforest’Action offers a high-integrity carbon project on the island of Sumba, Indonesia, adaptable to multiple investment models to best align with your climate strategy. [Discover the project’s full added value by contacting one of our experts.](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/contact)**

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Indonesia: a new momentum for the carbon market

**Reforest'Action's expertise in developing projects certified by international carbon standards is based on a dedicated team with complementary skills, specialized know-how and specific experience in each field.** 

**A close synergy is at work between our engineering skills in the field, our experience in raising financing and providing tailor-made support for investors, and our financial and legal expertise in the service of robust governance. In this way, we collectively ensure that our nature-based carbon sequestration projects meet the most stringent integrity criteria, to support both the needs of investors and the requirements of carbon certification.** 

**Meet 5 of the key profiles who make up this combined expertise, and who contribute to making Reforest'Action one of the most recognized and reliable players in the voluntary carbon market today.**


## Developing sequestration projects while maximizing fundamental benefits

### Sabrina, Senior Carbon Project Manager

High-integrity carbon sequestration projects aim not only to create carbon sinks, but also to maximize environmental and socio-economic impacts on local communities, while identifying potential risks associated with each project and ensuring their mitigation.

As Senior Carbon Project Manager, Sabrina is responsible for developing carbon sequestration projects, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia. From the origination of potential projects to their design, coordination, monitoring, and mitigation of related risks, her engineering expertise is used to develop projects with a robust, sustainable design that is adapted to local issues.
 
One of the key aspects of her role is finding trusted partners in the field and establishing close, long-lasting working relationships between Reforest'Action and local project implementers, which is essential for developing high-integrity projects. Thanks to her experience in designing agroforestry and reforestation projects in tropical areas, Sabrina brings a more global vision to the teams in the field, which maximizes the fundamental social and environmental benefits generated by the projects, aligns their design with the various certification standards, fine-tunes project objectives to take into account investor expectations, and ensures financial balance through ongoing budget management.

Because project monitoring is essential, Sabrina also co-develops and oversees monitoring plans in collaboration with project implementers. This monitoring involves both operational monitoring, to ensure the effectiveness of operations in the field, and impact monitoring, to ensure that the objectives set for the selected fundamental benefits are achieved, particularly within the four pillars of impact defined by Reforest'Action: climate, biodiversity, soil and water systems, and the socio-economic sphere. The underlying objective of this initial monitoring is to enable local communities, in the medium term, to take ownership of the project and benefit from the establishment of sustainable governance, as well as a system for the equitable distribution of monetary and non-monetary benefits among the project's stakeholders (benefit sharing).

Sabrina is also responsible for the entire certification process for the projects she develops. Her ongoing monitoring of market conditions, major international agreements and the position of governments on the regulatory framework for the carbon market is complemented by her in-depth knowledge of standards, methodologies, eligibility criteria and additionality, which enables her to save time and target the right carbon certification framework in line with investors' needs from the project feasibility study stage.

![Sabrina-Giorgi.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Sabrina_Giorgi_b21702ac75.jpg)

## Maintain in-depth knowledge of the field to optimize permanence
 

### Hugo, Remote sensing & GIS Analyst

Maximizing project permanence is a crucial issue in large-scale ecosystem restoration. It is essential to analyze and understand the specific challenges and risks of the project area, as these factors directly influence the sustainability of the activities implemented, the achievement of the expected impacts, and the return on financial investments. 

As a remote sensing and geomatics (GIS) analyst, Hugo carries out continuous analyses of the project area and the local context prior to the development of each project, as well as during their implementation and long-term monitoring phase.

He creates various maps that enable him to acquire and maintain in-depth knowledge of the landscape matrix and the challenges of the project area, using remote sensing data: biome maps, administrative maps, forest cover connectivity maps, land use maps, vegetation indices, biomass density indices, etc.
 
Hugo also conducts geospatial analyses to demonstrate the absence of risks (deforestation, fires, floods, etc.) in the project area, or to study potential risks in order to better mitigate them as part of a mitigation plan. All of this remote sensing and geomatics work is therefore crucial to contextualize the project, understand the specific challenges of its ecosystem type, and optimize the permanence of the restored ecosystems.
 
Hugo's expertise is also applied to the regular monitoring of the project's control plots, on which the reference scenario is based, in order to take into account their natural evolution over time. This benchmark performance protocol thus ensures a dynamic, rather than static, reference scenario, in line with the new VM 0047 certification methodology of the Verra standard. Regular updating of the baseline, compared to the project scenario, allows for greater rigor and accuracy in assessing the impacts generated by the project, and thus constitutes a valuable tool for project design and monitoring, increasing the effectiveness of our activities and providing even greater transparency to investors in terms of results.

![Hugo-Treuil-Dussouet-2.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Hugo_Treuil_Dussouet_2_c4cbfb3ed3.jpg)

## Supporting investors in securing high-integrity carbon credits

### Flora, Senior Carbon Sales Advisor

Nature-based solutions account for one-third of the mitigation efforts needed to combat climate change. Investing in nature-based sequestration projects, which offer multiple co-benefits, allows companies and other types of financial actors to diversify their investment strategies while strengthening the quality and credibility of their climate claims and addressing urgent environmental and social challenges.

As such, Flora, as Senior Carbon Sales Advisor, works with companies that are required, under the SBTi's Net Zero Standard, to reduce their emissions by at least 90% by 2050, as well as natural capital investment funds that bring together various investors who have committed funds to finance sequestration projects and purchase carbon credits (Carbon Dioxide Removal - CDR).

Flora supports investors throughout the process of selecting and financing a certified project – understanding the client's needs, formulating legal, technical and financial proposals tailored to those needs in a co-construction approach, managing the technical, legal and financial due diligence processes in conjunction with Reforest'Action's in-house teams of experts, and more. All of these challenges are addressed by its in-depth knowledge of the voluntary carbon market and high-integrity carbon sequestration criteria. Flora thus builds a relationship of trust with investors and works directly with them on various aspects of project design to enable them to align it with their ESG objectives.

It also guides companies in anticipating their climate strategy and securing the credits they will need in the medium term to generate multiple environmental and social impacts and meet the expectations of their stakeholders and consumers, both within and outside their value chains.

![Flora-Calandre.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Flora_Calandre_49edbe2979.jpg)

## Implementing robust governance to ensure transparency, fairness, and traceability

### Louis, Carbon Finance Manager

For climate action to meet market quality requirements, it is essential that all stakeholders align on principles of transparency, traceability, equitable value distribution, and inclusive decision-making. 

Louis, Carbon Finance Manager at Reforest'Action, has responsibilities in several areas of financial expertise. From the project structuring phase, he supports the operational teams in developing a 30-year business plan, which he then monitors financially throughout the project's lifetime by maintaining a solid three-way relationship between Reforest'Action, the investor, and the project implementer in the field. 

Louis also supports the commercial development of projects based on demand and market conditions. From calculating key performance indicators (KPIs) to due diligence processes during the pre-financing phase of a project, his expertise ensures the transparency and traceability of the data collected. At the same time, he works closely with the legal department to support the financial structuring of the project and the drafting of financing agreements.
 
Louis' financial expertise is also essential in designing and proposing innovative investment models, whether to enable investors to secure carbon credits ex-ante through forward purchase agreements (offtake), to directly finance a nature-based carbon sequestration project, or to spread risk through a diversified portfolio strategy.

Because high-integrity project governance requires clear and accessible reporting on cost allocation and benefit distribution, Louis also helps develop optimal transparency in project auditing and financial reporting to investors throughout the project lifecycle.

![Louis-Carre.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Louis_Carre_6ef06c8112.jpg)

### Valentin, Head of Legal & Risks Management

Working closely with Reforest'Action's operational, commercial, and financial departments, Valentin holds the key position of Head of Legal & Risk Management, thanks to the legal expertise he has acquired throughout his career in audit firms and financial institutions.

One of the main pillars of his role is to ensure compliance with the highest standards, as required by investors throughout their supply chain (combating illegal labor and child labor, money laundering and terrorist financing, fraud and corruption, etc.). He provides training to Reforest'Action teams and develops all compliance procedures for our stakeholders. Valentin also contributes to the ongoing mapping of risks identified for each project and to the development of mitigation plans.

On the legal front, Valentin handles all customized contract coordination with investors and Reforest'Action's various stakeholders, and oversees the creation of local legal structures, where necessary, to ensure the proper receipt of carbon credits and close monitoring of projects in the field. He thus ensures the legal security of the services required by our investors.

![Valentin-Thomas.jpg](https://backoffice.reforestaction.com/uploads/Valentin_Thomas_345142a877.jpg)

**By choosing to work with Sabrina, Hugo, Flora, Louis, Valentin, and the entire Reforest'Action team, you are choosing to secure your investments, reduce risk, and strengthen your impact on the climate, biodiversity, and local communities through nature-based, high-integrity carbon sequestration projects. Reforest'Action offers a diversified portfolio of projects that can be tailored to multiple investment models to best fit your climate strategy. [Contact one of our experts to discuss your needs.](https://www.reforestaction.com/en/contact)**


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Our combined expertise at the service of climate solutions: 5 key profiles

### Contribute to France’s Climate Goals

The Low-Carbon Label enables you to meet your short-term carbon contribution needs through carbon credits generated by certified forestry projects. These credits align with your climate strategy and with SBTi and Net Zero Initiative frameworks. By financing projects that sequester greenhouse gas emissions in France, you actively support the country’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

### Reforest'Action, the pioneer in developing Low Carbon Label projects

Reforest'Action develops its own low carbon certified projects through its huge network of project promoters in France and via two types of projects: afforestation and reforestation. 

### Specific features of Reforest'Action-developed projects

- Special attention is paid to diversifying tree species: 3 minimum and, on average, 7 per project, preferably mixed, to promote reinforcing biodiversity and resisting hazards and therefore the ecosystem’s stability.
- Conventional tillage is prohibited, which limits the release of carbon into the atmosphere and disturbing soil fauna. 
- Special attention is paid to maintaining and installing leafy borders at plot edges to ensure ecological continuity. 
- A ban on planting intrusive/invasive species.
- Remote and field follow-ups take place up to the 5-year audit.
 

to sustain forests in France with projects certified by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition with high added value on diversity.

Financing projects in France (Label-Bas Carbone)

### Climate pathway: a strategic priority for businesses

A robust climate strategy helps manage risks (regulatory, financial, and reputational), create value (through differentiation and innovation), and prepare the company for the inevitable transition to a low-carbon economy. 

### Anticipate and seize opportunities

Long-term investments in high-quality carbon credit projects through reforestation or agroforestry enable companies to:  

### High-Quality, High-Impact Projects with Minimized Risks

We combine large-scale project expertise with in-house mastery of ecosystem restoration and carbon asset development, delivering the highest-quality projects with optimal benefits for biodiversity and communities.

## Projects certified to the highest international standards


### 8 projects underway on 3 continents: 25,000 hectares to restore

### What we do 

- **Project design and carbon credit production:** We develop carbon credit projects from initial assessment and design through to implementation, registration, and commercialization — creating long-term, meaningful value for organizations and communities. 
- **Project structuring and financing:** We structure and design the legal, commercial, and financial components of projects in collaboration with local partners and funders, optimizing risk management and opportunities while developing innovative financial structures tailored to each project. 
- **Project execution:** We apply best-in-class practices to ensure optimal outcomes: in-depth due diligence, risk management, transparency, and the use of advanced tools and processes to enhance project monitoring, decision-making, and impact. 

### Case study: Investing in high-quality projects, Lessons from the MuLaKiLa project in Rwanda

### Impact Monitoring

**Monitoring project impacts** on climate, biodiversity, and communities by integrating project management expertise, field knowledge, and advanced technology.

- **Field Monitoring**: Regular on-site visits by project teams to assess and measure operational progress.
- **Remote Monitoring**: Real-time tracking of project performance using satellite and LIDAR data, alongside indicators for forest cover, biomass, carbon, and biodiversity.

### Reforest’Action: 15 years experience in NBS

### Read all our articles on carbon projects

À lire : actualités, décryptages et perspectives

Invest in large-scale NbS projects developed by Reforest'Action to secure your carbon strategy while combining economic performance and positive impact.

Financing certified carbon projects (VCS or Gold Standard)

**You wan to anticipate your future carbon credit needs.** As SBTi deadlines approach, contributing to climate projects beyond the value chain is becoming a key strategic lever. The strengthening of international frameworks (CSRD, SBTN, CDP), the implementation of CORSIA, and the entry into force of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement are increasing pressure on the market. The result is a structural imbalance between demand for high-integrity carbon credits and actual supply, particularly for Nature-based Solutions. Corporate credibility increasingly depends on the selection of high-integrity projects that demonstrate robust quality criteria and strong performance.

Our Long-Term Carbon Credit Portfolio enables companies to select ARR projects from our portfolio and secure ex-ante carbon credit volumes through proven risk-sharing mechanisms. As a project developer, Reforest’Action provides end-to-end support to build a portfolio aligned with long-term Net Zero objectives. 

Building on 15 years of experience in nature-based solutions, transparency is central to our approach. Our frameworks integrate all stakeholders, ensure fair value sharing, and provide full impact traceability. This commitment to operational excellence underpins our ability to deliver results over the long term. 

**Why choose NbS carbon removals?** Because Nature-based solutions offer clear advantages over technological carbon capture: they deliver multiple environmental and social co-benefits and can be scaled today, while protecting and strengthening natural carbon sinks.

 

Long-Term Carbon Credits portfolio

2020-2021_Saint-Aubin-Routot Rogerville (76)_LBC

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Quercus petraea

Pseudotsuga menziesii

Acer pseudoplatanus

Castanea sativa

Fagus sylvatica

Betula pendula subsp. pendula

À Saint-Aubin-Routot Rogerville, en Normandie, une friche agricole de 13 hectares située en bordure du Bois de la Côte Rogerville fait l’objet d’un projet de boisement labellisé Bas-Carbone. Créé par le ministère de la Transition écologique et de la Cohésion des territoires en collaboration avec de nombreux partenaires, le Label Bas-Carbone, qui s’applique notamment à des projets forestiers, contribue à la réduction de l’empreinte carbone nationale de la France. Afin de créer un peuplement pérenne et résilient, des essences variées ont été sélectionnées pour la plantation. Le massif en devenir constituera un corridor écologique, lieu de passage privilégié pour la faune. Ce projet permettra le stockage de plus de 3 400 tonnes équivalent CO2 sur les trente prochaines années, contribuant ainsi à l’atténuation du changement climatique.

Supports human well-being, by providing resources, income, education, and supporting recreation and heritage.

Contributes to the mitigation of the greenhouse effect and influences precipitation patterns and the local microclimate.

Preservation of local biodiversity by providing suitable habitats and resources.

Influences the quality and integrity of the soil-water system, and the cycling of water and nutrients.

In Saint-Aubin-Routot Rogerville, Normandy, a 13-hectare agricultural wasteland on the edge of the Bois de la Côte Rogerville is the subject of a Low-Carbon label afforestation project. Created by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion in collaboration with numerous partners, the Low-Carbon label, which also applies to forestry projects, contributes to reducing France's national carbon footprint. In order to create a sustainable and resilient stand, a variety of tree species has been selected for planting. The future forest will form an ecological corridor, a privileged passageway for wildlife. The project will store over 3,400 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the next thirty years, thereby helping to mitigate climate change.

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Photo de la parcelle avant plantation, sinistrée par la tempête de 2019 (chablis)

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Photo de la parcelle avant plantation, sinistrée par la tempête de 2019

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Photo de la parcelle avant plantation, sinistrée par la tempête de 2019 

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Cedrus atlantica

Calabrian black pine

Pinus nigra subsp. laricio

Pinus pinaster

Larch

Quercus pubescens

Liriodendron tulipifera

la propriétaire souhaitent aujourd'hui reboiser en diversifiant les essences selon leur exigence de station (feuillus sur les sols profonds et mélange résineux-feuillus sur les sols plus superficiels). Ce choix de diversification permettra une meilleure intégration du reboisement dans le paysage: une meilleure résilience du peuplement à moyen terme.

GOOD_HEALTH_AND_WELL_BEING

CLEAN_WATER_AND_SANITATION

DECENT_WORK_AND_ECONOMIC_GROWTH

CLIMATE_ACTION

LIFE_ON_LAND

PARTNERSHIP_FOR_THE_GOALS

The Clunisois, a natural micro-region in Saône-et-Loire, has been heavily planted with Douglas fir since the 1960s and 1970s. Rainfall has become increasingly scarce over the last fifteen years or so, leading to major dieback of the pectin fir and occasional dieback of the Douglas fir. The storm of 2019 further weakened the stand, which did not survive and is not regenerating today.

This project is located in the commune of Saint-Léger-sous-la-Bussière, in the department of Saône-et-Loire. This forest was hit by the storm of 2019, with windfall damage to 75% of the stand. The Douglas firs that were not affected are falling one after the other in gusty winds, because the unbalanced stand has made the Douglas firs more sensitive. No natural regeneration has taken place since. The owner now wishes to reforest by diversifying the species according to the requirements of the site (deciduous trees on deep soils and a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees on shallower soils). This choice of diversification will allow the reforestation to blend in better with the landscape. What's more, the regenerated stand will ultimately be more resistant to climatic and biotic hazards. The trees will be able to support biodiversity and help combat global warming by storing carbon.

Qinglong_Chine

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Cunninghamia lanceolata

Gleditsia sinensis

Cupressus funebris

Pinus elliottii

Pinus massoniana

Cryptomeria japonica

Vernicia fordii

Liquidambar formosana

In the stony desertification area of southwest China, particularly in Guizhou Province, approximately 3 million hectares of forest lands are undergoing severe degradation due to long-term soil erosion, rendering natural recovery unattainable. To address this ecological crisis, the Restoration and Sustainable Development project in Qinglong County aims to rejuvenate barren forest lands, spanning an area of approximately 20,000 hectares. 

Spearheaded by Guangxi Ruifeng Forestry Development Co., Ltd. and overseen by harry Deng, the project endeavors to implement the project with a goal to plant 30M trees of 8 species (among which 7 are native)  over 5 years.

Objectives:

Restore degraded landscapes by planting native trees, fostering ecological communities, and enhancing biodiversity. 

Generate 530k man days employment opportunities  

Perform training sessions on sustainable landscape management, nursery and plantation skills, and on NTFP

Enhance habitats connectivity

NO_POVERTY

REDUCED_INEQUALITIES

Supports human well-being, by providing resources, income, education, empowerment, and supporting culture and spirituality.

This project lies in the mountainous district of Qinglong, Guizhou province, within a natural karst area plagued by rocky desertification. Centuries ago, the project’s zone was covered by native and diversified forests, which have been cleared over time because of human activities. Historical deforestation drivers include extensive agricultural expansion and livestock overgrazing. These age-old practices have disrupted the delicate balance of natural ecosystems while reducing their resilience to environmental pressures.

Vegetation loss led to rocky desertification, which turned the area into rocky landscapes, depleted soils and increased erosion. Faced with this downward spiral, natural regeneration is not an option anymore.

Additionally, this rocky and karst environment hinders economic development and makes agricultural production, which constitutes the backbone of the local economy, more difficult. Besides, in this rural area, possibilities for villagers to raise their standard of living are limited due to a lack of job opportunities, especially for older people, women, and local ethnic groups.

The Qinglong Reforestation Project in southwest China, Guizhou Province, aims at rehabilitating a bare and karstic landscape facing rocky desertification. Through the planting of eight diversified tree species, seven of which are native to the region, this high-integrity initiative is designed to foster ecosystemic biodiversity while building communities’ environmental stewardship. In fact, this large-scale project meets the challenges of a tough economic reality by including the creation of employment opportunities within an agriculture-based local economy that struggles to provide jobs for all.
The Qinglong carbon removal project is based on the Afforestation and Reforestation methodology (A/R). It is currently undergoing the process of certification by Gold Standard, one of the most rigorous international carbon standards. The project has a 30-year duration, and on-site implementation will take place from 2025 to 2029.
The feasibility study has been passed, and field activities are now ready to start. A stringent due diligence procedure has already been carried out to consider the risks linked to the specificities of the target region and country, and to ensure the project implementer's capabilities in the field with respect to the precise project requirements. 
